Carpet securing device



March 1955 R. A. JUDGE CARPET SECURING DEVICE Filed NOV. 1, 19522,702,919 Patented Mar. 1, 1955 United States Patent Office CARPETSECURING DEVICE Robert A. Judge, New York, N. Y.

Application November 1, 1952, Serial No. 318,219 1i) Claims. (Cl. 16'-5) This invention relates to a structure for securing fabrics inplace, and specifically for anchoring carpeting and upholstery materialwhere desired. Previous methods of anchoring fabrics in place, such ascloth, carpeting or up holster'y materials, relied upon nailing or theuse of strips having nails jutting therefrom. Articles of the abovementioned class required extreme accuracy in the cutting and fitting ofthe fabric, and very often released the fabric after a short period ofuse. 7

Additionally, where carpeting had to be secured t'o' flooring, andparticularly cement flooring, it was difficult to apply nails, orso-called tacking strips. Where the carpeting had to be applied aroundcurved surfaces, 'or where fabric had to be seeured to curved furniture,the use of the heretofore known devices became impossible, due to theirrigid structure. g

Accordingly, it is an objectof the present invention to provide a fabricsecuring device which will permit easy installation of carpeting andupholstery material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device whichwill securely hold fabrics, despite strong pulling forces.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tacking devicewhich will enable carpeting to be secured along its edges at a pointadjacent the wall, so as to provide a highly satisfactory installation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for securingcarpeting in place, upon concrete floors. v

A feature of the present invention is its fabric gripping structure.

Another feature of the present invention is its light weightconstruction. V

A further feature of the present invention is its ability to be bent, asdesired, Without excessive effort on the part of the user.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, are illustratedfour forms of embodiment of the invent on.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangementof parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts, and in which:

Figure l is a view in perspective, showing a section of a completeembodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the first step in securing acarpet to a floor, employing the present invention. V v

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the said carpetingmaterial secured in place. I

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the presentinvention applied to uphdlster'ing furniture. 7

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a further embodiment of thepresent invention, for use in connection with cement floor structures.

Figure 6 is a still further embodiment of the present invention, showinga modification of the structure illustrated in Figure 5, for use inconjunction with cement or stone floors. j j 7 Referring to thedrawings, and particularly Figure 1, there is shown a carpeting tackingstrip 10 formed from a length of crossed wires, which wires are securedtogether in the manner well known in the wire fencing manufacturing art.The strip 10 is bent, as indicated at 11, so as to provide a horizontalportion 12 and an upstanding portion 13. In the form of the inventionshown 2 in Figure 1, the horizontal portion 12 consists of spacedcontinuous longitudinal wires or rods 14, having a plu- {filitytof webforming transverse rods 15 normally secured ere o.

The rods 15 are bent in the manner indicated at 11, and the upstandingends thereof are pointed, as shown at 1e. The pointed ends 16 of therods 15 comprise the fabric gripping elements of the assembly.Longitudinal rod members 17 are secured to the upstanding portions ofthe rods 15, as indicated at 18. The rods 17 are severed at specificdistances, as shown at 19, for the purpose 'of dividing the upstandingportion of the assembly 13 into a series of combs. The horizontalportion 12, which is partly formed from the rods 15, is provided withextehdln'g members 20. At desired intervals the extending r'n'einbers 20are pointed and downwardly bent, as indicated at 21, for the purpose ofproviding nailing members by means of which the carpet grasping devicemay be secured to the floor, as shown in Figure 2.

When it is desired to use the structure shownin Figures 1, 2 and 3, forthe purpose of securing carpeting, as for example, wall to wallcarpeting, the securing device is placed against the baseboard 22, asshown in Figure 2, and the points 21 driven into the floor 23. Thecarpeting 24 is then stretched and hooked over the points 16,

' as shown in Figure 2. The points 16 pierce the carpeting 24 and thesurplus carpeting material is bent downwardly, as indicated at 25 inFigure 2. With the carpeting in place, pressure is applied to theupstanding members 13, causing said members to be bent downwardly untilthey assume the position shown in Figure 3.

It is to be noted that in this position, the carpeting is securelygrasped between the folded portion of the securing strip, and held uponthe points 16. Theedge of the carpet is neatly folded underneath and inflush contact with the base board. The space betweenthe floor and theunder surface of the carpet, occasioned by the inter= position of thestrip is taken up by the underlaying or cushioning member 26, which ispresently used in corn nection with carpeting.

When it is desired to secure carpeting against a curved surface, thelongitudinal rods 14 on the horizontal portion of the carpet securingmember may be cut, as in= dicated at 27 in Figure 1. Cutting the outerrod will enable the strip to be bent inwardly. Cutting the inner rod, asindicated at 28-, will enable the strip to be bent outwardl'y. It willthus be seen that flexibility may be imparted to this structure, withthe minimum expenditure of time, and by the mere use of a simple wirecutting device.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown a second embodiment of the carpetsecuring structure, in accordance with the present invention, whichembodiment is' adapt able for use in connection with cement floors.Cement or stone floors, presently in vogue, present a diflicult'y, inthat it is inconvenient and often impossible to nail objects to them.Accordingly, the extending ends 20 of the horizontal portion of the rods15 are provided with points 29, which points are adapted to grip thebottom of the baseboard 22, at a point where the said base board meetsthe floor 23. The remainder of the structure and operation of thesecuring device 10 is the same as heretofore described.

In certain types of construction, the base board 22 is carried downbelow the floor level. It thus becomes impossible to insert the securingmember 10 between the base board and the floor. For this purpose therehas been provided a third embodiment shown in Figure 6, in which theextending portions 20 are provided with an upwardly bent fasteningstructure 30 which is adapted to be driven into the base board 22, asindicated at 31. As illustrated in Figure 6, the longitudinal membersmay consist of two rods 14, secured to the horizontal members of thestrip, and only a single rod 17 in the upstanding portion. The upwardlybent part 30 of the rods 15 must be longer than the upstanding portionof the assembly, so that, when the carpeting securing device is folded,the carpet is brought flush with the base board, although the point 31has been driven into the said base board.

Figure 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the present I invention,which is particularly adapted for use in connection with upholstering.In this form, both ends of the horizontal, web forming rods 15 arepointed, and are adapted to be driven into the supporting structure 32,as indicated at 33 and 34, respectively. The rods 15 are bent in asomewhat S-shaped structure, and the fabric 35 stretched over the points34 before they are driven into the supporting structure 32.

Suitable material, such as down, kapok, or the like 36, may be placedaround the fabric securing structure, and between the fabric and thesupporting member 32, prior to the upstanding operation. When the points33, 34 are driven into the supporting structure 32, as shown in Figure4, the fabric 35 will be stretched and securely held in place.

It is within the purview of the present invention to increase the lengthof the points 16 and their downward inclination, so as to enable them tobe driven into the supporting structure 21. This construction would benecessary where severe stresses upon the carpeting, tending to loosenthe assembly, were anticipated. While the precise guage of the rodsemployed for forming the present structure has not been given, it is tobe understood that any bendable semi-rigid material may be used, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present invention.

It is also possible, and within the precent concept, to stamp the rodsfrom a single sheet of material of suitable thickness, so as to avoidthe necessity for employing fence looming machines. In this form, thestrips could be manufactured in a simple stamping operation from acontinuous length of metal.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there have been provided fabricsecuring structures which are adapted to a wide variety of uses andinstallations, without the requirement of highly specialized forms, andwith the use of a minimum number of tools for installation. With theabove-described structure, the requirements for cutting carpetingprecisely, which are inherent in presently known structures, areeliminated. The rolled edge achieved by the subject fastening stripswill conform automatically to the base board against which it is laid,to present a neat, even appearance. The surplus material being folded inbetween the securing strip and underneath the fabric need not be cut tosize or with particular care.

As a further advantage to the foregoing structures, they may be used forsecuring carpeting to stairs, without the necessity for binding saidcarpeting along the longitudinal edges thereof. The extreme flexibilityof the tacking strip enables it to be bent over the treads and risers,without severing the strip, while providing a highly satisfactorysecuring means, which will present a neat rolled edge to view.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new andsought to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, nailing points formed upon the ends of the transverse rodsopposite the fabric engaging points, said longitudinal rods adjacent thefabric engaging points being severed at suitable intervals so as todivide the fabric engaging portion of the lattice into a series of combssecured together at their bases by the unsevered longitudinal rods.

2. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, nailing points formed upon the ends of some of the transverse rodsopposite the fabric engaging points, said longitudinal rods adjacent thefabric engaglng points being severed at suitable intervals so as todivide the fabric engaging portion of the lattice into a series of combssecured together at their bases by the unsevered longitudinal rods.

3. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, downwardly bent nailing points formed upon the ends of thetransverse rods opposite the fabric engaging points, said longitudinalrods adjacent the fabric engaging points being severed at suitableintervals so as to divide the fabric engaging portion of the latticeinto a series of combs secured together at their bases by the unseveredlongitudinal rods.

4. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,said lattice having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, fabricengaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverse rods,nailing points formed upon the ends of the transverse rods opposite thefabric engaging points, said longitudinal rods adjacent the fabricengaging points being severed at suitable intervals so as to divide thefabric engaging portion of the lattice into a series of combs securedtogether at their bases by the unsevered longitudinal rods.

5. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,said lattice having a substantially S-shaped cross-section, fabricengaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverse rods,nailing points formed upon the ends of the transverse rods opposite thefabric engaging points, said longitudinal rods adjacent the fabricengaging points being severed at suitable intervals so as to divide thefabric engaging portion of the lattice into a series of combs securedtogether at their bases by the unsevered longitudinal rods.

6. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,said lattice having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, fabricengaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverse rods,nailing points formed upon the ends of the transverse rods opposite thefabric engaging points, said nailing point ends being formed so as toextend beyond the longitudinal axis of the lattice a distance greaterthan that of the fabric engaging points, said longitudinal rods adjacentthe fabric engaging points being severed at suitable intervals so as todivide the fabric engaging portion of the lattice into a series of combssecured together at their bases by the unsevered longitudinal rods.

7. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,said lattice having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, fabricengaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverse rods,downwardly bent nailing points formed upon the ends of some of thetransverse rods opposite the fabric engaging points, said nailing pointends being formed so as to extend beyond the longitudinal axis of thelattice a distance greater than that of the fabric engaging points, saidlongitudinal rods adjacent the fabric engaging points being severed atsuitable intervals so as to divide the fabric engaging portion of thelattice into a series of combs secured together at their bases by theunsevered longitudinal rods.

8. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, upwardly bent nailing points formed upon the ends of thetransverse rods opposite the fabric engaging points, said longitudinalrods adjacent the fabric engaging points being severed at suitableintervals so as to divide the fabric engaging portion of the latticeinto a series of combs secured together at their bases by the unseveredlongitudinal rods.

9. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, nailing points formed upon the ends of the transverse rodsopposite the fabric engaging points, said nailing point ends beingformed so as to extend beyond the longitudinal axis of the lattice adistance greater than that of the fabric engaging points and beingupwardly offset to present the nailing points in a plane parallel to butspaced from that of the transverse rods of which they are formed, saidlongitudinal rods adjacent the fabric engaging points being severed atsuitable intervals so as to divide the fabric engaging portion of thelattice into a series of combs secured together at their bases by theunsevered longitudinal rods.

10. A fabric securing and nailing structure comprising, an extendedsemi-rigid lattice of spaced longitudinal and transverse metal rods,said lattice having a substantially S-shaped cross-section, downwardlybent fabric engaging and stretching points on the ends of the transverserods, downwardly bent nailing points formed upon the ends of some of thetransverse rods opposite the fabric engaging points, said longitudinalrods adjacent the fabric engaging points being severed at suitableintervals so as to divide the fabric engaging portion of the latticeinto a series of combs secured together at their bases by the unseveredlongitudinal rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSPaterson et al June 10, 1952

